Erasure-proof card



y 1962 J. R. BRADFORD 3,034,430

ERASURE-PROOF CARD Original Filed Oct. 31, 1955 United States Patent 3,034,430 ERASURE-PROGF CARD John R. Bradford, Sharon, Mass, assignor to Farrington Manufacturing Company, Needham Heights, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Continuation of applicationSer. No. 543,773, Oct. 31, 1955. This application May 15, 1958, Ser. No. 735,917 4 Claims. (Cl. 101-369) This invention relates to identification devices of the character from which data, such as name, address, and account number, may be printed for accuracy and speed in business operations and transactions. More particularly, this invention provides, in a device having a main body and printing surfaces of plastic, for a signatures being written thereon in pencil or ink, and additionally for insurance against unauthorized alterations in such signature through provision of novel means whereby it becomes apparent if any erasure has been attempted.

This invention was disclosed in my prior copending application Serial No. 543,773, filed October 31, 1955, entitled Erasure-Proof Card, of which this application is a continuation and the benefit of said filing date is applicable hereto.

One object of the present invention is to provide for a signature area on surfaces that would otherwise be too slick and non-absorbent to permit of pencil or ink writing thereon.

Another object is to provide such a signature area in which any erasure or attempted erasure in said area will produce a visual signal showing that there has been erasure, and preventing fraudulent and unauthorized alteration.

Still another object is to provide such a signature area, with means for detecting attempted erasures, on a unitary plastic card carrying also information in form for printing therefrom and other information readable therefrom.

Generally speaking, my invention comprises adhering to an area of a plastic card a thin frangible strip of contrasting color for Writing thereon, whereby any attempt to erase Within said area removes portions of said thin frangible strip, to expose the contrasting color therebeneath.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at 22 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, I have shown therein a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.

Printed on a unitary plastic card or body 10, which may be of vinyl or other suitable material, are decorative borders 12, a background area 14, and any desired informational material, not shown, the printing being done with any suitable ink or color contrasting with the plastic. In the preferred embodiment the plastic is white and the ink is dark in color. In the drawing the thickness of the ink and other elements are shown out of proportion for purposes of clarity. Additional printing may be done on the opposite face of the plastic body 16 (not shown).

Disposed over the said body and ink printing including the areas 12 and 14 is a layer of transparent plastic material 16, which may be sprayed or laminated thereon, as preferred.

The characters 17, embossed in the device preferably after said printing and coating is applied, are adapted for printing on business documents in transactions of various sorts, for speed and accuracy, using printing machines adapted for use therewith.

Disposed over the printed background area 14 is a layer 18 of porous, pigmented, ink and graphite receptive material, of color contrasting with said background area 14, and preferably white. Said layer 18 may be suitably deposited on and adhered to the printing device over said background area 14 by means of commercial embossing foil. Such embossing foil may suitably contain finely ground particles of pigment (for example, titanium white and iron blue) held together andonto a tape carrier film (such as acetate, g-lassine, or Mylar paper laminate) by'a suitable binder material; and the frangible, porous, pigmented film may suitably be deposited by applying heat to the reverse side of the tape carrier while pressing it in position over background area 14, to deposit therefrom the particles of pigment and binder material adherent thereto. The layer 18 is thus adhered to the background area 14, and the carrier backing film is at the same time released therefrom.

As stated, the layer 18 is frangible so that any erasure of a signature Written thereover will remove particles of pigment, expose the contrasting ink color beneath said layer 18 and the underlying transparent layer 16, and reveal the attempted alteration.

Other embodiments of my invention and Within the spirit thereof will occur to those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A printing device comprising a main body with in tegral printing surfaces embossed thereon, said main body being of plastic of thickness and strength sufiicient to permit printing from said printing surfaces without destruction thereof, a background area of ink of a first color adherent to a face of said main body, a layer of transparent coating extending over said area, said plastic, said area of ink, and said coating eing non-receptive to writing ink and graphite, and a frangible layer of porous, pigmented, writing ink and graphite receptive material adherent to said transparent coating over said area, said material being of a second color.

2. A printing device comprising a main body with integral printing surfaces embossed thereon, said main body being of plastic of thickness and strength sufiicient to permit printing from said printing surfaces without destruction thereof, said plastic being non-receptive to writing ink and graphite, and a frangible layer of porous, pigmented, writing ink and graphite receptive material overlying said main body, said layer being of color contrasting with the color of the hidden surface therebeneath.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a generally rectangular one-piece plate of thin light-weight embossable thermoplastic plastic material, said thermoplastic plate having an area thereof allocated to the reception of embossed personal identification data in the form of permanent embossed type characters, and said plate having at another area a signature receiving medium in the form of a discrete individual signature receiving strip overlying said other area and applied in place on said plate in strip form, said strip being of a heat bondable material heat bonded in place to the thermoplastic plate to overlie said other area, said other area beneath the signature receiving surface of the strip bearing indici-a voiding the device upon removal of a portion of said strip by attempted removal of even a portion of a signature placed on said strip.

4. A printing and identification device comprising a plate of thin light-weight thermoplastic plastic material having an area provided with embossed type characters, and having at another area a signature receiving medium of a heat bondable material applied in place on said plate in strip form and heat bonded in place to the plate, said strip being composed to afford an opaque signature receptive surface for a Written signature and being but a small fraction of an inch thick, said other area of the plate beneath the signature strip being solid and uninter- References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Bullock Mar. 15, 1927 Simons Oct. 12, 1943 Wolowitz Aug. 22, 1950 10 4 Comegys June 17, 1952 Pavlic Nov. 18, 1952 Carver et a1 Aug. 13, 1957 Bates Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Denmark Dec. 20, 1926 Germany Aug. 28, 1924 Great Britain Mar. 23, 1944 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1953 

1. A PRINTING DEVICE COMPRISING A MAIN BODY WITH INTEGRAL PRINTING SURFACES EMBROSSED THEREON, SAID MAIN BODY BEING OF PLASTIC THICKNESS AND STRENGTH SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT PRINTING FROM SAID PRINTING SURFACES WITHOUT DESTRUCTION THEREOF, A BACKGROUND AREA OF INK OF A FIRST 